I refer to the article in the TygerBurger dated 2 July regarding the justification for the rates increase in the Western Cape (“City approves ‘unfair’ budget”).
I live in a small-town Philadelphia very remote, more or less 30 km outside Durbanville.
This is where one can see that it does not matter what party rule. It is just the same in every party and the rest of South Africa.
If you stay outside the Central Business district and lager towns, you are forgotten and not budgeted for.
Unless of cause if you are “labelled” as “less fortunate” no matter where you stay. Then you can have two properties, one in Easten Cape or elsewhere where you always go at the end of the year, because you do not have to pay for that one either.
No rates for the shack you stay in for free nor the house you built in your hometown either. Everything is for free. Others will pay for what I want.
One cannot say that is not the case, because the masses that leave in their thousands to their hometown at the end of the year is not to a resort for a vacation.
Someone or somebody need to sponsor them, and it is again the soft target us as homeowners.
People forgot that we did not get our houses for free. We have to work hard for our hard-earned money to stay where we are and to be safe.
We become a nation of sponsors for those who “do not have” not only in our personal tax, but now with our rates as well.
Our rates increase in such a way that we pay the same as any other house in Durbanville. No distinction that we are in a rural area.
Just like in Johannesburg we get constant power problems and nowadays water problems as well.
We pay hard earned money for a service with the water levy still charges in our municipality bull, but service delivery is out the door.
Just because you are a small town with not a lot of people. What are you going to do?
Then I do not even want to let you know about the road from Durbanville side.
Huge potholes that get patched up only when the sun is shining, but until then you have to doge the holes that just get bigger and bigger.
The excuse, no budget for calming measures and upgrade of the road.
I wonder how the added cost of the cleaning services will work in our town if they cannot even do the basic stuff.
People should be aware and understand that whatever party rules they will do what they want, because they have the majority, they can.
E Coetzee, Philadelphia
